Method of and apparatus for hot-rolling metal to thin gages.



No. 64|,428. Patented Jan. l6, I900. T. V. ALLIS.

METHODDF AND APPARATUS FOR HOT ROLLING METALS T0 THIN GAGES.

(Application filed Mar. 7,

(No Model.) 3 Sh ets-Sheet IS g A Q IQ U3 v ix E E 4 g 2 E "O N if 5 N gb g u x k E i N l m w T j N g N- i Sag L 7 R INVENTDR.

Nb. 64l,428. Patented Jan. l6, I900. T. v. ALLIS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HUT ROLLING METALS T0 THIN GAGES.(Applicatiozi filed Mar. '7, 1396.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

INVENTUR WITNESSES.

m: NORRIS PETERS co. PHOTO-L\THO, 'ASNWGTON. n c.

No. 64l,428. Patented Jan. l6, |900.

T. V. ALLIS.

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HUT ROLLING METALS TD THIN GAGES.

(Application filed Mar. 7, 189 6.) (No Model 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

61 INVENTIJFL' YNE Mnims PETERS co. vuofmum'mwnsmmma. ma,

PATNT THOMAS V. ALLIS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y;

METHOD OF AND APPARATUS FOR HOT-ROLLING METAL T THIN GAGES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,428, dated January16, 1900.

Application filed March '7, 1896. $erial No. 582,169. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS V. ALLIS, a citizen of the United States, andaresident of New York city, in the county and State of New York, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of and Apparatusfor Hot-Rollin g Metal to Thin Gages,of which the following is aspecification.

My invention provides for greater reduc- 1o tions in rolling metal tothin gages than is practicable in the present state of the art, ashereinafter described, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figure l is mainly a sectional and partlya sideelevation of the greater portion of my improved apparatus, the sectionbeing taken in the plane of the feedway through the rolls. Fig. 2 is anelevation as seen looking from the right hand of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is anelevation in part as seen looking from the left hand of Fig. 1. Fig. lis a side elevation of the furnace separate from the rolls. Fig. 5 is adiagram of the side of the feedway for strips or bars passing from themain part of the furnace into the rolls, also broken outlines of therolls on an enlarged scale. Fig. 6 is a plan view of said feedway. Fig.7 is a side view of a pack of strips prepared for reduction togetherwhen it is desired to roll very thin material.

Fig. Sis a detail of the guide-shifting attach ment. Fig. 9 is an endview of the guide extension of the furnace without the edge-guides;

In front of a suitable rolling-mill a I arrange a comparatively longfurnace Z) for 5 heating the strips or bars to be reduced as they passthroughit into the rolls, said furnace being adj ustably mounted on atrack (1, that it may be moved to and from the mill to facilitaterepairs, change of rolls, guides, 65c.

The track dis mounted on a truck e, placed on rails f, whereon thefurnace may be moved laterally and parallel with the axes of the rollsto change the position of the guide from time to time that the rolls maybecome equally heated, expanded, and their surfaces evenly worn.

The furnace may be pushed forward and backward along the track C1 byhand 3 but any approved apparatus may be used for working it to betteradvantage. To facilitate the lateral movement of the truck 6, I haverepresented a hand-wheel g mounted on said truck e and geared with oneof the axles h by a worm i and worm-wheel j.

I do not claim the employment of a furnace in suitable relation to apair of rolls for receiving sheets of metal fromover the top of therolls for reheating preparatory to being again returned to said rollsfor further reduction. Such a furnace has been designed so that by thesame month through which the sheets enter from the rolls they are againreturned to the rolls, the furnace being adjustable up and down toreceive the sheets from over the top roll and return them again betweenthe two rolls, and has also been arranged so as to be removed from itsworking position in front of the rolls by lifting and carrying itaway-an arrangement possibly feasible for handling comparatively shortand broad sheets, which cannot be guided through the rolls and furnaceby edge-guides. In practice the rolls for such sheets are constructedamply long to allow the material to spread and the sheets to divergefrom the right line, as often happens both from accident and designedly.Such construction will in no way serve my purpose and is not such as Iclaim.

The apparatus of my invention is for reducing very long andcomparatively narrow strips to thin gages by one and not several passesthrough the rolls. Such strips must be accurately guided by their edgesin conse quence of their great length and to insure straightness.HenceitisthatIhavecontrived the furnace with trucks mounted on rails orguides for accurately controlling the delivery to and not the receivingof strips from the rolls, and also the adjustments of the furnace bothforward and backward and laterally, so that once being adjusted foralinement of the strips the alinement will continue correct no matterhow frequently the furnace may be shifted along its controlling-guides.The trucks may of course be fitted to slide on ways instead of rollingon wheels, if desired.

The furnace is to be heated with gas injected together with compressedair and distributed through numerous burners is along both sides, thegas and air respectively passing through flexible pipes Z and m, adaptedto allow the furnace to be adjusted without disturbing theirconnections. The gas-hose Z connects with the metallic gas-pipe a,carried underneath the furnace, and the air-hose m connects with a tank0, also carried beneath the furnace and used for a pressureregulator.The outlet-pipe h of the air-tank 0 connects with the gas-pipe n by theT q for mixing the air and gas preparatory to entering the furnacethrough the main pipe 8, branches tit, and the distributing-pipes o, thelatter forming the connections with the various burners 7c.

The furnace is constructed with an extension 1) on the end fronting therolls, by which heat is continuously applied to the strips or bars asthey pass to and enter the rolls and while being reduced therein. Saidextension is a tapered prolongation reaching to or as far into the gapbetween the rolls as is practicable and terminating in a contractedguide, the upper and lower sides of which are ribbed and groovedmetallic pieces 0, controlling the upper and lower sides of the stripsor bars. The edges of said guide are other tapered metallic pieces (1for guiding the strips or bars edgewise and adapted to reach fartherinto said gap. These edge-guides d are formed with right-angle flangese, constructed to bolt on the sides of the extension 6, respectively, tohold the guides in position, and with the intermediate liners f to gagethem with proper relation to the width of the strips and to compensatefor wear; but other means may be used for adjustment and compensation,ifpreferred. This guide extension of the furnace is also provided withburners it along the sides and supplied with fuel by the distributing-pipes 'v, suitably extended therefor to continue envelopingthe strips or bars in hot gases and flame as they issue from said guideandinto the bite of the rolls, thereby exeluding air from the strips orbars while being reduced, the opening between the st rips or bars andthe guide at the issuing end being large enough and of proper shape toprevent the strips or bars from choking off the flame while passingthrough and to insure the passage of a sufficient quantity of flame toimpinge in the bite of the rolls and exclude air. For this purpose themetallic guides 0 may have grooves, as 0 Figs. 1 and 9. At the other endof the furnace is an opening g,(dotted in Fig.2,) through which thestrips enter. It is closed by a door It, hinged at t" and having theslotsj,in which the strips are inserted when the door is closed forheating. Said slots form guides for the several strips of a pack andseparate them for circulation of heat. Detachable wearingpieces areattached at one end of the slots, and an adjustable wearing-plate Z isapplied to the other end to take the wear of the edges of the strips andbeing renewable as required.

At intervals along the furnace are spacingguides m to keep the severalstrips of a pack apart to facilitate even and rapid heating of eachwhile passing through the furnace. These guides consist of short rods ortubes which are inserted through holes in the sides of the furnace andbetween the strips after the pack is wholly or partially entered, thestrips being suitably separated therefor before the slotted door isclosed.

A delivery-guide a is placed at the leaving side of the rollscoincidently with the enter ing guide. It is mounted on a bar 0', ar-'ranged to slide parallel with the axes of said rolls in supports 19' inunison with thelateral movements of the entering guide when the truck 6,carrying the furnace b, is shifted to change the position of the guiderelatively to the rolls, as before stated. The bar 0' has a toothed rackq and is geared with a pinion s on a shaft 1., extending under the rollsto the opposite side, and there geared by a pinion u with a toothed bar4), fixed to slide in supports 10', parallel with bar 0' and having arigid arm 00', which is coupled by its slot 3 with a stud z, projectingfrom the bottom of the furnace,wherehy the bar 'vis moved with thefurnace and causes like movement of the bar 0', carrying the guide 02'.The slot y of the arm 00 and the stud z are arranged to connect anddisconnect automatically when the furnace is moved to or from the mill.Any other mode of gearing the guide n to traverse in unison with thelateral movements of the furnace may be employed.

As the rolls wear and are dressed from time to time the working planebetween them will be lowered correspondingly. Therefore the support forthe end of the furnace next to the rolls is made adjustable to vary theheight of the guide extension accordingly. Any approved means for soadjusting it may be pro vided. In this example I have representeda screwa supported on the truck 6, on which the furnace rests, the other end ofthe furnace being carried on a rib 0 allowing such adjustment.

In Fig. 7 I represent a pack of strips a prepared for reduction by asingle pass between the rolls, and they are placed one upon another andtemporarily fastened together by rivets or otherwise at the forwardends, so that they may not be displaced relatively to each other whilehandling or by the rolls in entering. They are arranged one a little inadvance of the other, forming a tapered end, which the rolls engage morereadily than if even and blunt. This arrangement also facilitatesseparating the strips after they are rolled by visibly locating theplane of cleavage between said strips, which, although prevented fromwelding together by refractory material distributed on their surfaces,adhere strongly to each other when being parted.

Stepping the ends of the strips and riveting them together, so that theycan be passed between the rolls and reduced bya single pass, is one ofthe most important features of my invention. In order to reduce theplates by a single pass, it is absolutely necessary,where the rolls aresetclo'se or very close together, to enter the pack into the bite of therolls. For this purpose the end of the pack is set forward, as shown,the lower strip of the pack being just thin enough to enter the bite ofthe rolls, and when this takes .place the rest will follow as a matterof course.

While it is old to taper the end of a single bar so that it will enterthe bite of the rolls, it is entirely new to step off a pack, fastentheir ends together, and then make a heavy reduction by a single pass.In order to reduce the number of plates by a single pass in this manner,it is absolutely necessary not only to step their ends, but to fastenthem together, so that the plates will not slip as they enter the rolls.

When the strips or bars are first entered in the furnace, they areallowed to rest a little short of the guide extension until sufficientlyheated and then pushed forward between the rolls, which, to obtainexcessive reductions, are revolved slowly, that the strips or bars maybe given time to attain a mellow heat while passing through the furnaceand to afford opportunity for the metal to flow under the squeezingaction of the rolls, also to retard the issue on the delivery side ofthe mill, thereby cooling the product and decreasing oxidation. It willbe seen that with the aid of hot gases and a non-oxidizing flamesurrounding the strips or bars to exclude air and keep them hot and forheating the rolls the metal so protected will enter the rolls in a softcondition,and a thick quantity retaining high heat into the bite of therolls may thus be greatly reduced with comparatively low power, ampletime being given for the metal to flow, making excessive reductionspossible without distortion and injury to the quality of material; butit is to be noted that owing to the slow movement of the bar or packinto the rolls it is of the greatest importance to exclude air until thereduction takes place, because oxidation would result in a largepercentage of loss, the strips being very thin, be-

sides being greatly detrimental to the quality of theproduct.Myinventionisdistinguished in this respect from other apparatus in whichthe work is heated preparatory to entering the rolls, in all of which,so far as I know, there is exposure of the metal to the air afterissuing from the furnace and before entering the rolls or anotherapparatus, the work being of such character as not to be materiallyinjured by scale-as, forinstance, large sheets or nail-rods, which aresubject to such treatment in forging the nails as removes the scale.

While this invention is alike applicable to rolling single bars orpacks, it will be seen that it is especially advantageous for producingvery thin strips in packs, as a pack of strips may be reduced togetherto about the same gage as is feasible to roll a single bar, becausewhether single or in multiple there is a limit in thickness to which hotrollingmay be economically carried before the metal becomes chilled andhardened, thereby losing its malleability and causing undue wear andbreakage of the rolls.

I clain1 1. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted toheat strips or bars while being fed into the rolls, and edge-guides fordirecting the strips through the rolls, the furnace being adjustableback and forth at right angles to the rolls, and controlled in saidadjustment by tracks or guides substantially as described.

2. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls and edge-guides fordirecting the strips through the rolls, the furnace being adjustablelaterally and parallel with the axes of the rolls and controlled in saidadjustment by tracks or guides, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls and edge-guides fordirecting the strips through the rolls, the furnace being adjustableboth at right angles to, and parallel with the axes of the rolls andcontrolled in said adjustments by tracks or guides, substantially asdescribed.

4. The combination of a rollin'g-mill, a furnace for heating strips orbars while being fed into the rolls, and an air-excluding feedway forthe strips extending from the body of the furhace to close proximitywith the rolls and thereby adapted to continue the application of hotgases and flame to the point of reduction and between the rolls, also toexclude air from the passing strips or bars, also to keep them hot, andalso to heat the rolls, substantially as described.

5. The method of rolling metal which consists in heating strips or barswhile being fed into the rolls and protecting said strips or bars fromair while issuing from the furnace and entering the rolls by an envelopof hot gases and flame, substantially as described.

6. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls, the feedway prolongationof said furnace extending to or into the gap between the rolls, and theedge-guides for controlling the alinement of the strips, said furnaceand feedway being mounted on a truck or guides and thereon movable up toand away from the rolls substantially as described.

7. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars While being fed into the rolls, and the feedwayprolongation of said furnace extending to or into the gapbetween therolls, the furnace being adjustable laterally and parallel with the axesof the rolls on trucks or guides substantially as described.

8. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls, and the feedway prolongation of said furnace extending to or into the gap between therolls,the furnace being mounted on a truck or guides and thereon movable up toand away from the rolls, and

also back and forth laterally to the rolls substantially as described.

9. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls, of the feedwayprolongation of said furnace extending to or into the gap between therolls, and guide attachments to the mouth of said feedway, substantiallyas described.

10. The combination with the mouth extremity of the feedway prolongationof the furnace, and with the rolls, of the tapered edge-guides for thestrips or bars detachably connected with the sides of said feed way, andintermediate means of adjustment, substantially as described.

11. The combination with the inlet-opening in one end of the furnace forthe strips or bars, of the horizontally-moving door for access to thefurnace having the separating and guiding slots in the opening andclosing edge, substantially as described.

12. The combination with the inlet-opening in one end of the furnace forthe strips or bars, of the door having the separating and guiding slots,and the detachable and adjustable edge-guides, located relatively tosaid slots forguiding the strips and sustaining the wear of the stripssubstantially as described.

13. The combination with a furnace adapted to heat strips or bars whilebeing fed into the rolls, of the crossguides for separating the stripsor bars, removablyinserted in holes in the sides of the furnacesubstantially as described.

14. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars While being fed into the rolls and being movablelaterally to the rolls, and a discharging-guide for the rolled productcoupled with the fur nace coincidently with the feeding-guide andmovable laterally in unison therewith, substantially as described.

15. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls and being movablelaterally to said rolls, the discharging-guide for the rolled product,the laterally-sliding support for said guide, the laterally-sliding barcoupled to said furnace, and the gear connecting said bars forsynchronous action, substantially as described.

16. The combination with a rolling-mill, of a furnace adapted to heatstrips or bars while being fed into the rolls and being movablelaterally to said rolls, and also forward and backward thereto, thedischarge-guide for the rolled product, the laterally-sliding supportfor said guide, the laterally-sliding bar coupled to said furnace, andthe gear connecting said bars for synchronous action, the connectingdevices of said bar with the furnace being adapted for automaticconnection and disconnection through moving the furnace up to and awayfrom the rolls, substantially as described.

17. The combination with the rollsand the guide extension of thefurnace, of the metallic guide-pieces in the mouth of said extensionhaving grooves for gases, substantially as described.

18. In the art of reducing metallic strips in packs, the method ofgraduating the entering end of the pack to insure its entry between therolls, and the reduction of the pack by a single pass between the rollsby arranging the ends of the plates or strips onein advance of theother, and fastening them together so that the plates cannot slip oneupon the other, substantially as described.

19. The herein-described improvement in rolling packs of metal stripswhich consists in shingling the end of the pack to insure its entryintothe bite of the reduction-rolls of a rolling-mill, and fasteningsaid shingled ends to prevent any movement or disarrangement of saidstrips in passing into the bite between said rolls, substan tially asdescribed.

Signed at New York city, in the county and State of New York, this 6thday of March, A. D. 1896.

THOMAS V. ALLIS.

Witnesses:

W. .1. Montana, ERNST AUNDGREN.

